righteousnes none are to be excluded that are capable of God and happinesse because the roote of love aswell to others as our selves is God the measure of which is love to our selves and therefore no particular enmity should interupt therefore wee should love our enemies You see how wee have stated and whither wee have ledde this notion of righteousnes wee cannot leave it in a better place and it was fit to say some what of that of which the word sayes so much and which armes so faire and noble a part But how doth this peece arme the breast or how is it fitted thereunto The breast containes I told you the vitall parts wherein properly as in the subject is the feate of life that holines therefore that righteousnesse that image of God is wounded by unrighteousnesse by sinne the Divell that wicked one shoots at the fairest marke and by unrighteousnes wounds that is it which drawes downe Gods wrath puts a sting into every condition into death it self that weakens the heart makes timerous and fearefull the breast-plate in Greeke is Thorax and they say it is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc est subsilite to leape or shake Propter cordis palpitationem for the heart ever mooves but unrighteousnes and an evell conscience makes it shake inordinately renders men timerous and fearefull now this peece of armour this breast-plate of righteousnesse secures you of this those shaking those darting wounds and ads courage and assurance so Prov. 28.1 The wicked flyes when none pursues but the righteous are bold as a Lyon now the use of armour is to render you not onely safe but bold and secure Contrary to which are those feares that make wicked men affraid of their owne shaddowe they goe without being driven saving by their owne conscience which is also excelently exprest Lev. 26.36.37 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintnesse into their hearts in the Lands of their enemyes and the sound of a shaking leafe shall chase them and they shall flee as fleeing from a sword and they shall fall when none pursueth And they shall fall one upon another as it were before a sword when none pursueth and yee shall have no power to stand before your enemies Heere is a disposition quite contrary to such strength and courage as this peece the breast-plate of righteousnes gives doe you not see now need of an armour when wickednesse and unrighteousnes brings you into that miserable condition unrighteousnes is opposite to the being of a holy man the renewed state of a man which consists in righteousnes and true holinesse and to the comfort and welbeing of a saynt which stands as you have it Rom. 14.17 In righteousnes peace and joy in the Holy Ghost marke the order first righteousnes which is as I may say the materiality of peace and then joy in the Holy Ghost But may not the righteousnes of Christ imputed by faith more properly be called this peece of armour then our owne inherent righteousnesse or holinesse Answ. without all question that is the Roote and source of all our righteousnesse Rom. 8.3.4 That the righteousnesse of the law might be fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit That is wee are reputed in Christ to have fulfilled the whole law for saies hee the righteousnes of the law is fulfilled in us there were two things the law required a just suffering for what wee were in arreare a due expiation for sinne and a perfect obedience now in Christ wee are reputed to have done all this for Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10.4 This was the first intention and scope of the law videlizet that Christ might justifie and bring men to life by his observation and keeping of it and therefore the Apostle blames them vers 3. that being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse they would establish their owne righteousnesse by which meanes they submitted not to Gods righteousnes that is to that way that hee had set and ordained But secondly having made them righteous and acquitted by imputation and standing right before God God leaves us not thus but the love of God producing in us and upon us some lovely effect makes sutable impressions and Charracters to the relation wee hold to him you have the print and Charracter of a sonne upon you aswell as the relation of a sonne which is nothing els but a certaine image and likenesse of his holinesse and therefore if you bee in Christ you are a new creature 2. Cor. 5.17 Now how can any be a new creature without the infusion of new qualities new guists without an essentiall change for it is a new creation therefore the scriptures describes all the parts of this infused holinesse yee were darknesse but now yee are light in the Lord Eph. 5.8 also you have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him Coll. 3.10 There is for your light for your apprehensions you have another sight of things then ever you have had other lights other notions Also you have a new heart a new disposition of spirit another bent and frame and propension then you have had so that of Ezek. 36.26 I will give you a new heart and a new spirit and you are to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holinesse Eph. 4.24 Christ therefore that doth all for us doth much in us hee is a head of influence wee have him all among us and every one hath him all in their measure and according to those influences and infusions wee have our denominations so Abell was called righteous so Noah Iob also Zacharij Elizabeth Luk. 1.6 were both righteous before God walking in all the ordinances and commandements of the Lord blamelesse In this sence a man may be called Righteous that is regenerate that is renewed although corruption remaines as you call a house white aswell as a Swan though there be many spots on it and such a one may be said not to sin 1 Joh. 3.6 because hee is not given up to sin but hath his heart armed and fenced with a holy frame and a pursuite of righteousnesse Now having thus distinguished and explained things this scripture in all the parts and peeces of the armour seemes rather to speake of the working and motion of the graces of God in us then the imputation of Christs to us which is that which indeed gives the forme enargy and operation to every peece but because according to what Christ is to us so in a proportion and according to our measure hee is in us by his influence by his infusions therefore wee are to till and improve him in us and as the divell could do nothing against us but by virtue of our corruptions so Christ makes use of his owne infusions of his owne graces of his workes in
glory in our condition and to improove it how sweet is our portion the traines the wayes of God are pleasant all his wayes are pleasant and all his pathes prosperity to have naturall desires which exceed not their bound and liberty to satisfy them without the fire the scald the Itch of lusts to have a spirit so great by meeknes and humility as it is above those ills it seemes most to fall under to be be-lowe envye for the world sees not your riches nor your greatnes and above misery and shame to have a spirit so meekned as it cannot breake againe to be above your condition what ever it is and to use it to possesse your estate and not to be possest by it to looke on money as a servant of the lowest forme to pitty them that Idolyze it and to improove more your litle by enjoyment then they doe their riches by looking on it and Idolizing of it Againe to goe further into the consideration of what wee said before and see how you outstrippe them for another life in knowing and loving that which they ignorantly persecute in having your assurance in God whereas they have none at all nor in any thing I could be large heere in the comparison of our service and our way which should be the object of our joy and rejoycing when ever wee thinke of it and thinke of it wee should often for that purpose For since God hath made the miserable condition of the wicked a foyle to the love of his elect wee should do so also and run over by way of comparison the heads and grounds of our comfort but I shall rather in the second place Intreat you to improove these things If you know these things happy are yee if yee doe them if you know the differences of your conditions if you know the wayes of Sathan from your owne and where they part happy are you if you tread those wayes and those paths and for those broade high wayes those common roades these beaten pathes of Hell which wee have described our wisedome and our glory will be to keepe a loofe of to keepe farre from them it will be lesse shame for us to be shamed by other things to be caught by other traines then the common snares Although it be true that in the pursuite of those things Sathan useth his greatest wiles and his finest peeces of subtilty however let us keepe a loofe of let us carry a watchfull eye to those great and common snares the Divell may alter his method but his But and end is the same hee findes these things sutable to corrupt nature and hee improoves all that is within us to worke vilde and base impressions those wayes therefore let us watch him where hee watcheth us and let us not thinke that because wee have escaped the pollution of the world that therefore wee shall escape him hee spinnes his web the finer for you Which is the reason why I have spent sometime in these particulars of his most usuall martches that yee might see the way in some of its foulnesse together with the guide that yee might see the hooke under the bayte and be undeceived in things so greatly concerning you Now therefore having your adversary so fully and largely described to you in his nature in his power in his ministry as hath bene shewed at large in this tract of Angells for some peece of the Divells power you must fetch from what hath bene said of the good Angells that wee might not be obliged to repeate things twise it remaines that wee should fight that is that wee should addresse our selves to the combate for there is in this adversary what ever might prepare you and stirre you up to a most formed and exact warre For first hee is as hath bene shewed a most inveterate and sworne enemy hee ceaseth not to accuse day and night hee knowes all our good lyes in maintaining good tearmes with God Therefore his care is to beget ill blood between us hee inticeth us to offend him and when hee hath done hee aggravates this offence to the utmost capacitie of it Hee goes about like a roaring Lyon hee goes about therefore hee is not idle hee workes continually and it is like a roaring Lyon hee hath not onely a Lyonish nature in him apt to devour and to fall upon the prey but hee is ever roaring that disposition is alwayes wound up to the height and intended in him other enemies not so so that heere is the worst disposition that can be imagined ever acted and mannaged with the greatest intensenesse But then secondly if his evill nature had not much power joyned to it hee were lesse considerable lesse formidable though wee say there is none so weake but hee hath power to doe hurt But I beseech you consider his power is fitted to his nature if hee meane ill hee is able to doe also much ill there is no part or faculty of your soule or body that hee cannot reach and that at all times in all conditions in all postures alone or in company idle or imployed sleeping or waking when you are fit for nothing els you are fit to receive his impressions Nor is hee an enemy of the weaker sort and so lesse considerable an arme of flesh against poore fleshly creatures is great but hee is a spirit Our originall sin our fleshly corruptions wee finde evill enough enemies bad enough even to the making us cry out with Paul of the body of death But we wrestle not against flesh blood this text tells you you have another kinde of combatant for the description of whose power to finde fit names the highest comparisons will faile us Principalityes powers rulers spirituall wickednesses above They are not called Princes but principalityes not Potentes but Potestates not mighty but powers Lord not of a part but of the whole world of the darknesse of the world all the wicked of the world which are darknesse are of their side fight under them against us and all the darknes in our owne harts is with them also all those fumes and foggs of lusts all those mists of ignorance and unbeliefe are part of his armie Againe instead of wicked spirits they are called spirituall wickednesses and that above both in high things and in high places they are above us they hang over our heads continually You know what a disadvantage it is to have your enemy get the Hill the upperground this they have naturally and alwayes Againe there are enough of them they can immediately beleaguer a man cōpassing him round possesse every part of him Seaven Divells can enter at once into one man or if need be a whole legion doe wee beleeve these things and are wee not stirred are wee not affraid if we apprehend the approach of an enemy and the towne wherein wee are be in danger what wringing of hands is there what praying what provision and yet perhaps hee may be diverted hee
us with which through him wee fight against the divell so as by the righteousnes of Iesus Christ infused into us and derived by his spirit our vitall parts are armed and secure against the divell who by unholines and unrighteousnes would destroy that building of Gods owne rearing I have bene some thing large in this both in shewing you what righteousnes is as it respects God and man and in distinguishing it from the imputed righteousnes of Christ which is the temire wee hold by and by which wee stand accepted before God and in shewing you how it secures you against sin which is the divells weapon to wounde us withall If ye aske mee how you shall put it on in a word be renewed in the spirit of your minde things are maintained as they were gotten be converted often one conversion is not enough the worke of repentance that is of a change of heart is of a continuall dayly use you must be changed from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord righteousnes in you acted and enlarged by the spirit of God must worke out unrighteousnes in you acted and fomented by the divell and you must do your part to righteousnes as you have done to sin and as ye have yeilded your members servants to uncleannesse and to iniquity unto iniquity So now yeild your members servants to righteousnes and to holinesse Rom. 6.19 Your Members that is your whole soule the faculties of it the endowments of it must be yeilded in service to God as they have bene to sin and the divell they must be now weapons in Gods hand under the command of his spirit for so saies hee ver 13. neither yeild your members as weapons or armes of unrighteousnes for so signifies the word which wee translate instruments Wicked men unrighteous men furnish the divell with weapons to kill and destroy themselves their owne weapons slayes them the divell doth but helpe to point them and sharpen but wee must yeild our selves to God and our members weapons of righteousnes to God and by doing this sin shall not have dominion over you for saies hee yee are under grace not under the law that is the grace of God in Christ and the assistance of his spirit will enable you to overcome sin and the divell which the law would never have done Nothing hinders more then discouragement but feare not imploy your members as weapons for God and you will prevaile the rigour of the law Christ hath satisfied and those parts which remaines you which are left for you grace will work in you and by you so as let the divell be what hee will be sin or unrighteousnesse shall not have dominion over you and consequently not the divell against whome ye fight for hee moves in the strength of unrighteousnesse Wee are come now to the third peece of armour which is for the feet and leggs for the Breast-plate reached downe to the knees and this covered the rest by the feete are commonly denoted the affections by which we martch or move to good or ill they are the movings and outgoings of the soule and the feet and legs are a part which needs asmuch armeing as any other thing for in their motion to fight they conflict with the difficulties of the place and in their fightings are exposed to wounds and danger other parts are freed from that more they are not so much offended with the ground on which they are but these are aswell exposed to the difficulties of the place as to the wounds of the combate The armour therefore for this part is the preparation of the Gospell of peace that is an ability and readines with chearfulnesse to preach and confesse the Gospell First that this is a great duty to confesse or manifest upon all occations your beleefe of the Gospell appeares by that place Rom. 10.10 with the mouth confession is made to salvation that is it is a part of the duty which you owe to God in order to your eternall salvation to confesse and promulge the glorious Gospell which in your hearts you beleeve for the faith of the Gospell should so fire your heart with the glory of God that the flame should breake out On the contrary it is an absurd and foolish thing to talke of fire where no flame or heate appeares to speake of beleeving to righteousnesse where there is not at all occations a readinesse to confesse with the mouth This being laid for a foundation you shall see how two other places will helpe to interprete this Those shooes the feet armour I take to be a fitnesse and readinesse to preach or declare the Gospell of peace this semes to be extremely parrallelled with Rom. 10.15 taken out of Isa. 52.7 How beautifull are the feete of them that preach the Gospell of peace Heere you have the Gospell of peace the same thing named in this place and the bringing or communicating of it expressed by feet As heere by the armour of the feet but if any shall say this is onely applicable to Ministers because in the beginning of this 15. ver it is said How should they preach except they be sent that is utterly a mistake for by sending there is not meant the particular and lawfull call of Ministers which the Apostle heere treats not of but imports onely that it is a speciall signe of the love of God when the Gospell is brought any whither for hee sends it it drops not out of the clouds by chance or hazzard but it comes whither God sends it whither hee addresseth it and therefore should be received accordingly The other place is 1. Pet. 3.15 Be ready alwaies to give an answere to every one of the hope that is in you The word ready is the same word that is heere prepared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and heere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a readines or preparation having your feet shod with a readinesse of the Gospell of peace that is as heere with a readinesse to give an account of it or preach it or confesse it as in the former places as you have occation either by offering and declaring it or by answering and giving account of the hope that is in you of the Gospell the ground of that hope or of your actions according to that rule and word you see how this exposition suits with a generall duty in other places commanded and runnes paralell with the very phrases and expressions of them so as the exposition falls naturally and without constraint If you aske mee now how this readines and preparation of preaching and confessing the Gospell upon all occations armes the legs and feet which denotes our Martches and Motions in this warre against the divell Answere first because it imployes a great boldnes in the faith of Christ which fits for motion and going forwards hee that is ready and prepared to be a Preacher or Confesser to give an account of his faith hath as it is said of the
goodnesse have form'd you ablest to pardon me in any thing vvherein I shall neede it And of all I have knovvne of either Sexe I have mett vvith fevv more diligently inquisitive or pertinently reasoning of things of a raised and abstracted nature especially vvhich might have influence into the good of another life then your self To which I adde That I professe to have infinite ingagements to avovv my self before all the vvorld Most honoured Mother Your most obedient Sonne Most Humble servant HENRY LAWRENCE A Treatise of our Communion and warre with Angells Ephes. 6.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18 Put on the vvhole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the vviles of the Divell For vvee vvrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against povvers against the Rulers of the Darknes of this vvorld against spirituall vvickednesse in high places c. THE great externall cause of all our evills is the Divell who hath such a kinde of relation to our sins as the holy Spirit hath to our graces saving that hee findes a foundation within us to build upon matter out of which hee extracts his formes whereas the holy Spirit doth that worke as well as the other and is put to the paine of foundation worke as well as building I call him the externall cause in opposition to the working of our owne corruptions which are our owne properly and most of all within us In other respects hee may be sayd to be the internall cause also for hee mingles himselfe with our most intimate corruptions and the Seate of his warfare is the inward man Now because hee hath a greater influence into us then perhaps wee consider of and the knowledge of our enemy is of great concernement to the warre wee must have with him I desire a litle to inquire into this mighty enemy of God and man that wee may knowe him and dread him so farre as to fit us for conflict and that wee may knowe him and discover him for hee is a perfect Iugler hee raignes not much when his tricks are discovered and that wee may knowe him and resist him if hee shall embolden himselfe to stand his ground as often hee doth The Apostle from the beginning of the 4 Chap. had taught them how they should live in generall first among themselves then with relation to those that are without ver 18. Then hee condiscends to particuler duties of Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants and last of all before hee concludes returnes to that which hee had mentioned in the 3. Chap. ver 16. where hee beggs of God as the most desireable thing in the world that they might be strengthened according to the riches of his grace in the inner man Heere hee turnes his prayer into an exhortation wherein hee provokes them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might ver 10. That is to say though you have all faith and all knowledge and worke well yet you must persevere yee must goe on and you must doe it with strength It is a great matter to come into the lists but it is great to runne also and to fight when you are there for you shall meete with those that shall oppose you and conflict with you therefore be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might that is with the Lord by his Spirit which is his mighty Agent shall worke in your hearts Be not strong in your owne strength in your owne purposes in the freedome of your owne wills so was Peter who got nothing by it but in the Lord his Spirit can strengthen can raise can confirme you Ver. 11. Put you on the whole Armour of God God is able to preserve you but hee will doe it by your fighting and your Armour must be sutable to the hand that wields it which is the Spirit of God in you and the enemy it conflicts with which is the Divell Againe it must be the whole Armour if you want any one piece that place will be exposed to danger also All for offence and defence that you may save your self by destroying your enemy that yee may bee able to stand against the wiles of the Divell that is that yee may hold your ground though you should receive wounds and thrusts yet that you may not give way as ver 13. that yee may withstand in the evill day The day of temptation is an evill day a day of trouble a day of tryall and often in respect of the event evill therefore deliver us from evill And having done all to stand that is if you doe all in this fight God commaunds you and omit nothing by the vertue of God you will stand but there is no dallying with such an enemy your standing must be a fruit and result of doing all The wiles of the Divell the word is Methods that is the divell like a cunning fencer hath his faints knowes how to take his advantages and like a great commaunder hath his stratagemes by which hee doth as much as by fine force and these are well laid there is a Method in them to make the worke the surer one thing depends upon another and all contribute to make the result firme For wee wrastle that is de conflictu est sermo non de ludo we speake of conflicts not of play or sport not against Flesh and Blood that is that which wee have onely in our eye is flesh and blood wicked men that wounds us and persecute us where note that God calls all wicked men all the enemies of his Church but flesh and blood now they are the most perishable things when God will blowe upon them for all flesh is grasse though the enemies be never so great and mighty they are but as grasse and stubble Or secondly flesh and blood by which may be understood your carnall lusts the concupiscence of the flesh and the boyling and ebullition of the blood to anger and all passions it is not so much or it is not especially against these you wrestle but rather against him that acts them and makes use of them to your ruine and dis-advantage which is the divell and this hee may perhaps speake against the opinion of the Heathen who understood not the operation of the divell but thought all our conflicts was against internall passions But against Principalities hee seemes to describe the divels heere which are our enemies first from the principality of their nature by which the eminency and raisednes of their nature in respect of this visible world is set forth that as the state of Princes differ eminently from other men so the nature of divells as Princes excells the nature of men and of all visible things Against Powers hee calls them Powers simply without any addition to shewe the eminency of their power aswell as of their natures that as they have a nature farre above flesh and blood fitted for great things so they have a power
deceived about their objects if the distance be proportionable and they no way distempered for if the sences are ordinarily capable of being deceived then you may question any thing subjected to sence as whether the snow be whit c. Now all this they did not by vertue of an internall forme but an Angelicall power quickening and mooving the body they acted and it is observable that when the Angells would hide their natures that they might converse more familiarly with men they would eate and drinke and speake But when they would be acknowledged for Angells then they denied to eate meate as Iudges 6. in the story of Gedion and of Sampson Iudges 13. If you aske what became of the meate they eate for their assumed bodies needed no nourishment I would aske you what became of their bodies their meate aswell as their bodies was reduced into nothing or the pre-existent Elements of which they consisted as that which Christ eate after his resurrection There is one question more in this subject with which I will end and that is Why the Angells make not their operations now as formerly they have done The heathen who were ignorant of the wayes of God ascribe this to the sins of men that God being now displeased with them hath no more minde to converse with them But the reason is quite otherwise because as God would be worshipped in spirit and truth so hee would have us walke in the spirit and converse more with the spirit then formerly and Christ being now in the flesh and in heaven hee would have us live by the faith of him and a greater measure of the spirit being now given hee would have us converse with the spirit and these spirits in a more invisible way As also the Church being now confirmed by God needs not those visible and sensible confirmations as formerly which is the reason also of the ceasing of miracles they were appropriated to the laying of fondations both of the law and the Gospell we walke now in the vertue of these apparitions which were of old and in the power of these miracles and besides wee have faith enableing us to converse with the Angells in a way more spirituall So much for the apparition of Angells First from the immutability of the Angells you see the reason of their indurance nothing can destroy them but God immediately and God will not the same reason is for the soules of men for they as the Angells are not produced out of matter are not compounded of matter and forme but are pure substances created and infused by God immediately and so not subject to corruption And for glorified bodies when they shall have put on a celestiall forme this corruptible shall have put on incorruption this passive principle by which they are corruptible shal be destroyed they will then be in the same condition of the Angells uncapable of fadeing or alteration From the apparition of Angells see the care that God hath had of his Church in all times Hee hath not left himself without witnesse to the world in that hee gave them raine and fruitfull seasons nor to his people for hee hath given them the apparitions of Angells and invisible substances Secondly learne the dignity of saints that have had the Angells to be their ministers and so farre as to humble and debase themselves to take up shapes that were not their owne Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits c. Thirdly consider the meanenesse of mans nature in respect of the Angelicall wee cannot beare apparitions scarce in our owne shape but out of it in any higher wee are confounded Fourthly see the blessednesse of our conditions wee shall be as the Angells as little depending on Elements and outward things the more wee can frame our selves to this independency of living now the more raised wee are it is good to have our happines in few things and to be easily able to quit the rest Fiftly admire not bodily beauty you see an Angell which is a creature but one degree above us can frame beautifull shapes which shall be acted and moved and within a while comes to nothing and this beauty of our bodies this Elementary beauty this mixture of whit and red is almost as perishing a little blast of sicknes a little undue commotion of the humours renders it also nothing Sixtly see the great love of the son of God in his apparition who though above Angells as being their creatour Coll. 1.16 Though hee were God blessed for ever yet did not abhorre our nature but as hee tooke our nature and not that of the Angells so hee tooke it up indeed not in shewe as the Angells who troubled not themselves with the heavinesse indisposition and vildenesse of our bodies but Christ so tooke our nature as he subjected himselfe to all our naturall infirmities and to have as wee a vilde body Seaventhly by the frequency of the former apparitions of the Angells you may know they are not idle now although wee living by faith have not such a visible converse with them as formerly but as miracles are ceased so are their appearings seased but not their workings though their converse be not so sencible yet it is as reall But of that in another place So as the fifth thing will be to consider about the administrations of Angells to us and the deputations they have from God concerning us And first wee must know that the doctrine of the Angell Gardians hath bene exceeding antient not onely amongst the Christians but the heathens also who drew much of their knowledge from the Scripture and they thought that every man had his Angell which was his Genius hence are those phrases Invitâ Minervâ contra genui facere that when their Angell or Genius inspired them one way they would do acts notwithstanding contrary to such inspirations and to their Genius Secondly some not onely Philosophers but Christians have thought that every man good and bad was under the guidance of a good Angell which to the reprobate was an aggravation of their sinnes but it is cleare that the tutelage of the good Angells belongs onely to the elect for so it is Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister to them who shall be heires of salvation Exclusively that is to them and no others Els hee would not have made it a priviledge and prerogative to the saints but given it in common rather amongst men So Psal. 91.11 Hee shall give his Angells charge over thee but to whome ver 9. those which make the Lord their refuge so that it is cleare for them and for no others And it doth not hinder that this was spoken immediately to Christ for so are all the promises which concerne the elect they are made and made good first to Christ and from him as a head they discend to his members A third consideration will be whether every elect person hath a particular
are faine to doe therefore our communion is exceeding great with the Angells both good and bad For beleeve it they having such a price in their hands will not loose it on either side the Divells malice will not suffer them nor the good Angells love and duty will not suffer them to be wanting to their abilities Hee maketh his Angells spirits his Ministers a flame of fire this say some is with relation to their workeing toward us both in lightening and heating This is therefore first by considering the advantages they have upon us to consider how great and intimate our converse is with them secondly to consider this notwithstanding that wee give not that which is Gods due to the Angells though they be the beginning of his creation for first God onely knowes the heart even our thoughts afarre of the Angells onely as I have told you Secondly for working upon us as all they doe is under God and in fulfilling his will which is the law and rule they moove by so they cannot put in new species of things into the fancy and such as the sences had never any knowledge of though they can make many compositions and deductions almost to the saying of what they will yet their ability stretches not to the putting in of what was never there before as to make a man borne blinde dreame of coulours and their difference therefore Thirdly take heed of receiving ill impressions by your eares or your eyes or any way if an ill man tell you an ill story once the Divell will tell you it a thousand times it is a great happines to this purpose not to know ill And on the other side keepe your selves in such a holy frame as may provoke the good Angells to converse with you wee love to speake where wee are like to finde intertainement and so doe they and receive good images and impressions of things that they may have matter to worke upon for as I told you they cannot make a blinde man dreame of coulours Lastly for your soules sake keepe your body in a good frame that the humours of the body be not armed against you to lust and anger and revenge but may be fitted for spirituall converse Fourthly feare and please God who gives bounds to the most raging elements water and fire and to the most mighty spirits the Angells for they are his messengers they doe his will if you receive any good motions or inspirations by the Angells any thing of comfort it is God that doth it hee commaunds that creature aswell as any other to give downe its milke therefore let him have the praise and if now you will offer a sacrifice for this offer it to the Lord for so saith the Angell himself Iudges 13.16 Revel 19.10 Worship God saith the Angell to Iohn see thou do it not The Angell had revealed great things to Iohn and hee would have worshipped him but saith the Angell see thou doe it not Also 14. Rev. 7. worship him saith the Angell that made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters But Fifthly love the Angells and gratify them for they love you and are mightily advantagious to you they love us much without all question for their wills are as Gods will and hee loves us and they know it as being deputed by him to minister to us And as they themselves love God above all so they love us as themselves which is the next commaund for wee are their neighbours they are very neere us and wee shal be much neerer heareafter when wee shal be with them and be as they are Lastly wee may see their love by its effects First by these workes for our good they worke in us and upon us and then those effects of love they rejoyce to looke into the good things prepared for us 1. Pet. 1.12 which things the Angells desire to looke into and as the holy Spirit is grieved when wee sin so are the Angells also as appeares by their contrary affection of rejoycing at our good and conversion for then the Angells of heaven rejoyce And therefore the Psalmist provokes the Angells to praise God for his mercies to himselfe and to us and by the same reason that wee hate the Divell and resist him wee should love and gratifie the good Angells They hate God they hate and tempt us the others doe purely and truly the contrary let us know these spirits and grow into a greater league and familiarity with them let them not have lesse of our love because they are spirituall and invisible for that inables them to doe us more service and so is God whom wee love most of all In this tract of Angells that which most immediately and particularly reatcheth my intent is to shew the power they have over us especially over our spirits and the way they have to communicate themselves according to their power especially to our spirits which wee have done already though other things as a foundation and in order to this were necessary to be knowne and particularly that about the Guardian-ship of Angells From that formerly delivered wee deduced severall corrolaries both from the knowledge of the Angells and from their power of communicating it to all which wee shall onely adde this further That they have not this knowledge and power in vaine but according to their talent betrusted with them they lay themselves out for our advantage as concerning the outward man so especially and above all in relation to our spirits and inward man tacitely and in a spirituall way communicating themselves to our spirits suggesting good things and provoking us to our duties in holines and obedience This I proove first from their power what they can doe they doe but they can communicate themselves to our spirits and our inward man they can in a very great measure know our mindes and necessities they can by the mediation of our fancies and inward sences speake to us almost what ever they will therefore they doe it The reason is cleare for els they should not serve God with all their might But wee told you before their obedience is the patterne of ours therefore their love also and wee proved also that they did love us exceedingly because God loves us and as being their neighbours therefore wanting neither power to enable them to their duty nor love to actuate that power and ability they are no way wanting to such a communion without which as I have shewed they should neither make good their love to God in serving him with their strength nor their love to us in doeing us that good they are able to doe Secondly you may remember I told you that they did formerly take up their shapes not for their owne needs but for ours nor for ours to facilitate any thing they were to effect upon us for they could have communicated themselves as much to us without bodies as with but for other reasons as for the
they are bound Men also are in the same condition some are under the bonds of election others under the bonds of reprobation reserved both of them by the chaines of Gods decree to eternall glory or wrath which is to follow this in the decree hath been for ever but since the fall the bonds have seazed upon men an attatcht them assoone as they have had a being so as they have lyen under the arrest clogged with shackles and chaines which of themselves they could never put of They have had a wound in their wills and a blindenesse in their understandings the spirit of bondage through conscience of sin and feare of wrath to come have fallen upon all men who have not gone sleeping to hell Now then see the use of Christ Luk. 4.18 Hee was sent to heale the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives recovering of sight to the blinde and to set at liberty them that are bruised Heere is one that can knocke of your shackles can breake those bonds indeed hee layes another yoake upon you another chaine by it you are reserved also but it is to everlasting joyes it is to a crowne that fades not away and it is a yoake but it is a light one not which shackles and fetters but advanceth your motion and is a comely ornament to your necke they are the bonds of a friend it is such an imprisonment as excludes bondage as gives liberty Let those therefore that are invironed with those chaines that are honoured with this yoake glory in their bonds and walke as freemen these are markes of their libertie and badges to distinguish them from slaves let them walke livelily and cheerefully not as men bound up by a spirit of bondage and reserved under darknesse but as men set at liberty and in a joyfull light with singing in their mouths and laughter in their faces and joy in their hearts that they may be knowne by their lookes to be the sonnes of the most High and heires of a free kingdome and let your actions and steps speake libertie every one freedome from sin from lusts from corruptions that there may be a glory in every motion and an impression of sealing to eternall life Secondly for those that are yet under those ill yoakes let them consider to get loose or they will finde a worse state behinde they will finde themselves but reserved to judgement though one would thinke the yoake they beare the yoake of lusts bad enough to be servants of sin and corruption of lust and pride yet they are reserved to worse Change your bonds therefore rest not till you finde your selves bound by other cords bonds reserving you to everlasting joy and happines Wee have considered the Divells already under two heads one of their sin another of their punishment That of their sin wee have dispatch't with the corollaries drawne from it In respect of their punishment wee considered them under a double consideration either that present or that which remaines them heareafter and founde it usefull for our purpose Wee will consider now of their spirituall punishment First for their will they are so obstinated in ill and in hatred against God and Christ that they cannot will to repent and be saved They are that wicked one by way of eminency What death is to us that the fall was to the Angells put them into a pertinatious and constant state of ill but the reason of this was the judgement of God upon their sin which was against the holy Ghost because willingly and knowingly they opposed the truth and gospell of God therefore sayes Iohn hee that committeth sin is of the Divell for the Divell sinneth from the beginning 1. Ioh. 3.8 Not hee hath sinned but doth sin that is pernitiously and constantly as a fruit of that great first sin For their knowledge that it is exceeding great in it selfe is without all question they being of the same substance with the other Angells indued with a most excellent knowledge of things and a most tenacious memory It appeares also secondly from their experience of things from the creation of the world to this time Thirdly from their office which is to delude and deceive the reprobates and to try the Saintes which require great ability of knowledge Fourthly from this that they are the great masters of all the impostures that have bene in the world of all sorcerers witches and southsayers who for title call the Divell their master Yet notwithstanding their sin hath given their knowledge a mighty wound For first their naturall knowledge is maymed exceedingly there is darknes mixed with it they lost what man lost and more Adam could call things by their names according to their natures but who can do it now and proportionably to their more eminent nature and sin was the greatnes and eminency of their losse Secondly in their knowledge of things divine and revealed in many things they fall short they beleeve enough to make them tremble but many the best and most things were lost to them what they see they see but by halfe lights and therefore though the Divells understood more of Christ then men not enlightened by God and they could tell that Paul and his companions were the servants of the most high God also Iesus they knew and Paul they knew Acts 19.15 they have whereof to beleeve and tremble Iam. 2.19 they raise from the effects some darke and obscure knowledge Yet in things of this kinde the Divells beleeve not very many things which they should have beleeved if they had stood and therefore are called darknesse and the power of darknesse because they are exceeding darke in themselves in respect of the good Angells and of what they might have beene But now then thirdly to see things as the good Angells and holy people doe to wit the beauty of holinesse the evill of sin the lovelinesse of God in Christ the glory of God as Father to his elect such sights as might gaine and winne them to God they are perfectly blinde in and understand nothing of and as I have told you before they never saw God as the elect Angells did they never beheld the face of God so nor now can they see him as the elect both Angells and men doe but heere lies the greatest darknesse which they can never overcome Their spirituall punishment will appeare also by those names and titles attributed to them in the Scripture they are called Perverse spirits and uncleane spirits from their quality and office they are the authours of uncleane thoughts and actions they are called The evill one the enemy viz. to God and man The Father of the wicked Iohn 8.44 Also the Divell the calumniator the tempter one whose worke lyes in deluding and depraving man Also the God of this world hee would be worshipped as God as hee hath also a power over men 2. Cor. 4.4 So hee would have worship from them as they have also formally and explicitely
from such as personally give themselves over to their service They are stiled also the Governours of this world or Rulers 2. Eph. 2. which governe wicked men in and to their lusts Also Roaring Lyons 1. Pet. 1.8 from their fiercenesse and malice A murderer Authour of our death and all murthers Also Beliall 2. Cor. 6.15 What agreement hath Christ with Beliall this signifies irregular without yoake and discipline such hee is himself will submit to no law but what the power of God layes necessarily upon him and such hee renders his The use that I shall make of all this to our selves is that wee dread the spirituall punishments of sin Sin drawes along a dreadfull chaine after it the little sweet that was in your mouth that your rolled under your tongue which you judged so good the tast of that is presently gone but there is a long bitter followes the pleasure is but skin deepe reacheth but to your sence but the effects of it are felt upon your conscience and minde your most noble parts The pleasure gives you the enjoyment of a minute such a one as it is but the paine is of your life perhaps of all eternity but how miserable is it to drawe on a trayne of spirituall punishments that is that sin shall be punished with sinne the truth is every first sin carries punishment with it for it is a punishment to sin in the first act though wee consider it not as all holy acts carry reward with them even in their mouth but heere is not all this sin shall make you sin againe Pharoah was punished by frogs by haile by many things but the hardenings of his heart as it was the greatest punishment so it was virtually all the rest That place Rom. 1.28 is dreadfull Because they delighted not to reteyne God in their knowlegde God gave them over to a reprobate minde and then they were filled with all unrighteousnes If wee will not delight in God God wil give us up to delight in the basest things in the world Thou little thinkest that thy proud or uncleane thought shal be waited on with such a trayne not onely of punishment but sin And this is true to all in it's proportion to the Saints for sin doth not naturally dispose for further degrees of sinning of the same kinde for so every act strengthens the habit but the spirit of God being grieved withdrawes and when yee are in the darke the spirit of darknesse is bold with you and you want light to repell him and God can when hee pleaseth in consideration of a sin past let either a sin fall upon your spirit or an affliction or sicknes upon your body But oh feare such punishments they are not onely of the worst kinde but they are multiplying of evill infinitely if God prevent not Beware therefore of sin least you sin and least you be given over to a spirit of sinning which is the greatest and worst of punishments thinke that you know not what sins are in the wombe of this sin which you are now about If to grieve the spirit to please the Divell to offend God be dreadfull to you feare sin above all not onely for that present act but for those other sins which may be contained in the wombe of that and may in time be most cursed births of it And as Austin said of hell Lord saith hee burne heere cut heere punish heere that is in this life So of sin O wish rather the animadversion to fall upon your bodies and estates your outward man heere cut Lord spare my soule my inner man let sinne rather cause death then sin which is the worst dying In the next place wee come to shew what is the principall ministery of the evill Angells for God knowes how to improove every creature and not onely the power but the evill of the evill Angells and hee made nothing in vaine The wicked are for the day of wrath muchlesse such mighty instruments and engines as those spirits are which though they have received a wound and lye under chaines yet are of mighty ability when God gives them leave to act it That they are at liberty for a ministery I told you before when I spake of their punishment for they are not in termino they are not yet in the great deepe nor under the sentence of their punishment they are not in the place prepared for the Divell and his Angells but they are in the ayre and the world where also they are Princes they have the advantage of the place and powers is also theirs now for their ministery which still will come neerer our purpose the principall and proper ministery of the evill Angells is to tempt and induce men to sinne they improove all the power and opportunity they have chiefly to this this is manifest by Scripture assoone as the world began hee began this worke with our parents in innocency in the shape of a Serpent Gen. 3.1 Therefore Christ calls him a murtherer from the beginning Ioh. 8.44 For assoone as the world was hee gave the greatest blow that ever was given mankind hee murthered our first parents and in them all our posterity and this was done in a way of tempting and alluring so Paul 2. Cor. 11.3 I feare least as the Serpent seduced Eve shewing that that temptation was the beginning the first of that kinde that was in the world the first prancke hee playd the first execution of his ministery and as it were the coppy of the rest therefore also Math. 4.3 hee is called The tempter as being the title of his office other names hee hath which shew his power and ability his nature and his malice but none declare his ministery so properly as this Therefore 1. Thess. 3.5 Least by some meanes the tempter have tempted you and very frequently our temptations are said to be from the Divell so Ioh. 13.2 The Divell put into the heart of Iudas to betray Christ Iudas had the corruption in his heart before which was fit matter to worke on but it was a fruit of the Divells ministery to suggest that temptation and put it into his heart so Christ told Peter that Sathan had desired to winnow him Wee should have said hee was affraid to die and being surpriz'd secured himself by a lye and so should have imputed it to little more then the act of a timerous spirit but Christ said the Divell was in it and 1. Pet. 5.8 it is said hee goes about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom hee may devour that is by his temptations and allurements otherwise hee doth not rampe upon our bodyes and Rev. 12.9 it is said that the great dragon was cast out that old Serpent called the Divell and Sathan who deceiveth the whole world this is his worke hee sayes they were cast out and his Angells were cast out with him which are his under-ministers in deceiving the world as Christ Math. 25.41 calls them The Divell and his
to holinesse which is Angells worke and also the ministery they are under for they are not under this evill ministery as they are under God and the good Angells the wicked are so they are in some sort subjected to it for their good and advantage but the ministery they properly fall under as their owne is of another kinde as wee have formerly shewne Secondly then wonder not that evill men are so wicked there is a ministery upon them for that purpose an evill spirit from the Lord is upon them and God hath forsaken them be not scandalized at the evill of any that is not under the ministery of God and the holy Angells for they are prest and ridden by another spirit and they cannot but goe when they are so driven Thirdly take heed yee be no occasion or temptation to sin it is the Divells worke doe not that vilde worke it belongs to the Divell and his Angells you may commit this sin amongst others to be an occasion of others sins though not of purpose but through want of care and watchfulnes but take heed of this though it be but by accident Fourthly when yee see men rise to a height in wickednes doe not thinke they shall presently be destroyed and sent to their place they are cast perhaps under sure bonds for destruction but as the Divells they are at liberty for service and ministry God will use them as hee doth the Divells for base and filthy worke before hee will cast them into the great deeps Fifthly labour for holinesse and wisedome that yee may be fit for a ministry The evill Angells are indued with great strength because they have a mighty worke to doe you have a ministry also to serve God and man to doe great workes but where is your ability labour also for holinesse that you may be mighty to worke Sixthly if so good an account may be given of the Divells and their ministery which is the worst thing in the world doubt not but God will justify well enough all his actions to the world one daye Seaventhly dread not your adversary hee shall prove your Crowne Eightly since there is such a ministery to tempt and deceive keepe close to your strength depart not from your coulours the Divell is to hard for you if hee take you alone ye cannot fight with him in single combate if you take your selves from Gods ordinances and wayes you will be as an excommunicate person which is delivered up to Sathan so you may deliver up your selves Ninthly be secure on Gods side this is but a ministery hee will have the victory and the glory hee overcomes for the present often the infirme and weake will of man but the power and grace of God never Consider that his power is from God and his ministery is for him in those that perish hee is the mighty minister of God for their destruction the skirmishes hee obtaines of the Saintes hee shall have little cause to boast of at last when hee shall see those Saints filling the seats of the wicked and falne Angells so as for Gods manifestative glory hee shall serve to advance it aswell as all the other peece of the creation for his essenciall it is above his reach or that of any creature You have seene the ministery of the evill Angells it will not be amisse in pursuite of it to consider how farre they mingle themselves with temptations and whether they be the cause and Authour of all or of all sinne It seemes temptations goes before sin as the cause before the effect Iam. 1.14.15 Every one when hee is tempted is drawne away of his owne lusts and lust when it hath conceived bringeth forth sinne Therefore First to state aright the case of sinne and then consider how farre hee tempts How ever immediately or properly the Divell may concurre in the point of temptation yet hee ever concurres remotely in respect of the sin committed for betweene the temptation of the Divell and sin there ever mediates or goes betweene cogitation or thought in which the temptation properly and formally lyes so as hee may be an effectuall cause of temptation but not of sin for hee may necessitate a man to feele a temptation but not to consent to it The Divell may represent such an object to us but hee cannot constraine us to be taken with it to close with it The Divell when hee temps us hee doth not binde us or altogether hinder the use of reason for though hee may have an ability naturally to do it it is not ordinarily permitted him or if it be permitted him then properly and formally hee doth not tempt to sinne but inflicts by Gods permission some evill of punishment upon us by which our power of sinning for the present is taken away which cannot be without an ability of reasoning or working freely To which wee may adde that as the Divell cannot worke in our wills the consent of sin as being the next totall and efficient cause for that were to destroy the liberty and life of the will which is to be free and to moove freely as hee cannot do this wholy so neither as a partiall or halfe cause to operating immediately with our will bending and mooving of it for even this is a branch of Gods prerogative and exceeds the spheare of all created capacity the will is independent upon all created power both in its operation and in its being and is out of the naturall power of all the Angells onely God the first cause of all things can concurre with the free acts of the will and neverthelesse preserve its liberty hee can bend it and frame it and reatch it as free and as immateriall as it is Then first thy perdition is of thy self oh Israell it is thy cursed will that strikes the stroake for sinne which all the Divells in hell could not doe men will be impure they will be covetous they chuse to doe evill that is it which strikes the stroake lay no more upon the Divell then is his due hee cannot force your will and it is will wherein your sinne lyes the lesse voluntary any thing is the lesse sin nay hee cannot cooperate immediately with your will hee cannot bend nor moove it to assent to the understanding the will and the deed is not from him Let every sin then humble us for the will that is in it and know that the strength of sin lyes in the will as that is gained as that assents more or lesse Secondly blesse God that hath preserved you this liberty and hath left to himself onely that power over you make good your liberty against the Divell and call in God to your aide beseech him that can to bend and moove you and since hee hath not subjected you necessarily do not you subject your selves voluntarily Glory over the Divell in this behalfe and make good your ground which all the power and art hee hath can never gaine unlesse you will For the
second point whether the Divell can concurre to the temptation of all sin some have thought that there would have bene no sin without the temptation of the Divell and that there can be none but to make the Divell so necessarie to all temptations as that they cannot be without him I see no reason for though there were no temptation from without originall corruption were sufficient to raise temptations to provoke to ill Every one is tempted when hee is drawne aside of his owne concupiscence or lust and intised Iam. 1.14 So Math. 15.19 Out of the heart proceede evill thoughts adulteries that is it is a bubling spring a fountaine for the worst streames Also considering how ready wee are to kindle and to receive fire from every sparke without the Divell or any rationall tempter sencible objects may betray us The lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eye and the pride of life something of this nature is that which drownes worldly men in perdition and destruction and creats that conflict betweene the flesh and the spirit in the Saints Gal. 5.17 The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit lusteth against the flesh so that wee cannot doe the things that wee would by reason of this opposite streame of this contrary power wee are interrupted in our working And besides sencible objects which worke upon corruptions within us which are apt to receive flame and burne there are the ill counsells of wicked men and wee may adde over and above that without the foment of originall lust and without an extrinsecall tempter man might have sinned even in the state of pure nature why not aswell as the Angells which had no tempter nor Divell to fall upon them which were in their pure naturalls And they which received so easily a temptation from without as our first parents might perhaps have sinned without it Therefore without all question if wee speake of the possible of what may be men may sin without the temptation of the Divell But now de facto the Divell usually hath a part in all temptations hee findes matter in us and hee workes upon it therefore there are not many temptations in which the Divell is alone without us and I should thinke there are fewer in which wee are without the Divell And therefore the Fathers were used to say when you thinke or doe any evill thing it is without all question that yee have a malignant Angell exhorting you to it Also when you speak idlely or doe any evill thing it is the Divells counsell but doe wee not finde the Scripture frequent in this The Divell put it into the heart of Iudas to betray Christ Ioh. 13.2 So Acts 5.3 Why hath Sathan put it into thy heart to lye So Ioh. 8.44 Christ blames them for being enemies to the truth and for being lyars but hee wonders not at it for hee tells them the Divell is powerfull with them and there is a confirmed relation betweene him and them yee are of your Father the Divell and the lusts of your Father you will doe which may be said of other sinnes aswell as of lying so Christ said to Peter get thee behinde mee Sathan hee knew Sathan was in that carnall peece of policy and so Paul speaking to married people bids them not be long asunder but come together againe least Sathan tempt them for their incontinency What Was there not flesh and blood in them and corrupt affections enough to make them incontinent Yes But they wrestle not onely against flesh and blood as in the text but against principalities and powers against the Divell in all his strength and power even in these things wherein flesh and blood assaile us also So Sathan provoked David to number the people 1. Chron. 21.1 which wee would have thought to have proceeded from nothing more then from the pride of life and to have bene a branch of it yet the Scripture layes it to the charge of Sathan now besides these Scripture expressions this mingling and joyning in all temptations may be supposed easily in reason by them which shall cōsider the innumerable numbers of the Divells which are ministring spirits for that purpose as I told you before when yee shall also consider the infinite hatred they beare to God and man which invites them with all diligence and endeavour to fulfill this ministery so as they have no intermission no vacant time from this worke the Divells Emissaries wicked men how busye are they They can not sleepe except they cause some to sin they turne every stone and leave no meanes unattempted but the Divell himself needs no sleepe nor rest hee is not clog'd with a body to weary him hee hath no other imployment to distract him no food or rayment to provide to interrupt him so as hee may minde his proper worke and indulge to his proper lusts which is to dishonour God by abusing man and therefore hee is ever at leasure either to offer temptations and begin them which hee doth very often or when any bubling is of our owne corruptions or occasion off'red from without hee is at hand and at leasure hee hath heart and hand ready to joyne to sharpen the temptation and to give it those points it wants to make it most taking So as though possibly man may sin without the immediate temptation of the Divell as hath bene shewed yet it is not improbable that the Divell out of the abundance of his malice solicitousnes to hurt doth concurre actually ordinarily to all temptations and so to all the sins of men and makes good the words of Peter who sayes That our adversary the Divell goes about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom hee may devour All this is that ye may know which are the Divells parts and which ours and how far hee can goe and when hee stoppes which is a proper part of this discours But if you aske and inquire now of the method and whether usually have the start in raising and beginning those temptations our owne corruptions or the Divell There is nothing certaine or assured in this but there is ordinarily a variation with Evah it was apparant the Divell began with Christ it was necessary hee should begin and end for there was nothing in him to fasten temptations upon with Iudas also it is cleare hee began the Divell put it into his heart and very ordinarily according as hee is wise and diligent hee begins with us not onely in those temptations which men say to be properly from the Divell namely in things suddaine independent and unnaturall which yet for ought I know may often have their birth in originall corruption but also hee begins in our most ordinary and naturall lustings and that either mediately by presenting the objects of lust or passion or by stirring and mooving the humours of the body that the body may be more fittly disposed to be mooved by the object or els immediately joyneing some internall persuations and
the Divell already But secondly let this difference in our state cause a difference in our working and resisting it should be a shame for the Saints to fall and faile as doe the wicked alas they have not those aides those sights and visions those contrary whisperings where is the good Angells that should conflict with the other they want the contrary principle they want the externall helpes they have some darke sights of God some whisperings of conscience though in great sins a louder speaking but they want the spirit the good Angells a new nature therefore in these respects the sins of holy men are capable of greater aggravations then the wickeds are and God is more displeased with them they are not left to the wide world they have custodes and testes morum those which are witnesses of their manners and keepers also God is at the charge of giving them tutors and governours great and holy guards they must breake many cords many bonds before they can reatch a sin Let this consideration strengthen us and begirt us to holines and incite us to pitty and helpe wicked men which that wee may doe the more and may more fully fall under our governours and tutors given us by God and may see reason why wee should not sin as do others Let us consider a little out of the Scripture how exceedingly the wicked fall under the Divell beyond what the Saints doe by the decree and permission of God Eph. 2.2 In them hee workes sayes hee that is efficatiously hee workes his will in all the pieces of disobedience Also 2. Cor. 4.3.4 Our gospell is hid to them that are lost whose mindes the God of this world hath blinded So 2. Tim. 2.26 they are said to be taken captive by him at his will hee hath them in a string hee can drive them to any madnesse or folly to oppose the truth as in the preceding verse though it be clearer then the day or any other thing Therefore els where Sathan is called The God of this world and the wicked the children of the Divell who fall under his lawes easily and naturally as children doe now none of these things is spoken of the Saints Why because they are under another God another Tutor other Guardians hee hath neither that power nor those meanes of deriving it if Sathan stand at our right hand our good Angell stands there also if the Divell use all his arts God hath his methods also Therefore let it be no matter of our glory that wee are not as the wicked are but of our shame that wee come neere them in any measure and of our glorying and prayse to God who hath put us in the other predicament where though you have the Divell who assaults us with all violence yet hee prevailes not because you have God and the good Angells to oppose him In the next place under this head of the Divells ministery for temptation wee may consider which way hee layes himself out towards mankinde that is toward the Saints and others for though his power be limitted towards some more then others the temptations in respect of the subject matter of them the things to which hee tempts are the very same Hee will venture upon the Saints even the greatest things though perhaps in some difference of method that wee may see by his temptations to Christ and the reason is because hee is not ever assured who is a Saint and who is not they may be of his owne And because a little ground gained of them is a great victory and because if as sometimes hee doth hee can bring them very low hee makes Trophyes and glories in their blood and shame very much To handle this at large were to make a treaty of temptations which I at all intend not in this subject for as I told you there is scarce any temptation with which the Divell mingles not but to point at some heads onely which the Scripture mentions or experience And first as greatest haters of God and his glory the Divells oppose with all their might the worship of the great God and in order to this they would hinder the knowledge of him they would ecclipse the light with the greatest and thickest darknesse how much they are in this appeares in that bold tempting of Christ when the divell durst venture upon a motion of worshipping him in plaine tearmes and offered all for it This all auntient and moderne stories witnesse the first thing the Divell makes out for amongst his is an alienation from God and a shaped and formed worship to himself for which purpose hee hath his assemblings where hee appeares personally as appeares by the confession of many hundreds And therefore Antichrist his eldest sonne whose coming is after the working of Sathan 2. Thess. 2.9 that is who workes even as Sathan workes hee doth the like ver 4. Hee opposeth and exalteth himself above God so that hee as God sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that hee is God So as now to be of his party is to be of Sathans party to obey him is to obey the Divell let them consider this who are bold to vary in doctrine or worship from the word of God they fall under a mighty temptation of the Divell it is his most naturall temptation they strike at the root of all obedience that strike at the rule which is the head of worship this is to draw men cleerly and immediately from God let us advance the glory of God and the worship of God so yee shall be fighters against Sathan as the others are fighters against God thinke the promoting of the knowledge of God and the worship of God to be the greatest service you can do to God and the greatest head you can make against the Divell Secondly as I told you formerly they are the greatest enemies of Christ and the gospell which was in all likelihood the occasions of their fall Hee shall bruise thy heele was prophesied of him of old that is hee can goe no higher but what ever hee can hee shall doe Before Christ came hee opposed the beleeving of the Messiah laboured in his instrument to destroy the whole nation of the Iewes by Antiochus when hee was borne would have destroyed him by Herod Math. 2. Fell fiercely upon him in the wildernesse tooke him at an advantage carries himself so in every respect that Christ calls him the enemy The enemy came and sowed tares Math. 13.39 And as at other times more grossely so amongst the Saints more refinedly hee opposeth gospell-worship gospell-preaching would mingle some things of worke and merit with the free doctrine of justification some thing of doubt and slavish feare with the free glorying in our portion with joy unspeakeable and glorious some thing of pompe or slavery with the free and simple governement and administration of the worship and discipline of Christ so as pure and naked gospell is little knowne or preached by the ministers
and professours of it Therefore what the Divell abaseth let us exalt let us desire to know nothing but Iesus Christ and him crucified Let Christ in the Kingdome of Christ be all in all Let us beleeve though wee be nothing let us rejoyce though wee be worse then nothing in our selves that is to make good the gospell that is to resist the Divell let worship be administred according to the rule though it want pompe and applause and let the power of the gospell appeare in changing our natures in healing our lusts Grace came by Christ let the notion of gratefulnesse worke in us as effectually as that of merit let the love of God in Christ be strong as death let his dyeing love constraine us to live to him who dyed for us this is to magnifye the gospell which the Divell would depresse if you beleeve strongly if you rejoyce strongly if you worke strongly from gospell principles and notions then ye destroy the Divell then you oppose Christs enemy I beseech you let us doe it under this head Doe I not hate them that hate thee saith David Christ hath many enemies which should be all hatefull to us but hee hath none like the Divell as I have shewed you therefore hee came to destroy him The fairest ground of contention that you will ever have with the Divell will be this that hee is the mortall or rather the immortall enemy of Iesus Christ if you oppose him under this notion you will draw Christ neerest you for assistance and fight a battell in the strength of love and whilst you have your head you will secure the body and every member this is to put another notion in to the conflict not onely to secure our selves from lusts but to save Christ therefore live according to pure gospell because the Divell opposeth it wee have thought that to be assured or to rejoyce with joy unspeakeable and glorious were onely to doe good to our selves that is the least in it to a minde well-formed the returnes are Christs the glory is Christs and the Divell feeles every blowe who is Christs enemy and the enemy God hath set you up with whom you ought to make good a warre and to contend for ever as wee shall see heareafter Thirdly next to Christ and the naturall and Genuine doctrine of the gospell the Divell excerciseth this ministery especially against the Churches of Christ and the Ministers and teachers of them who are the guides and lights and members also either by persecution or dissention How hath the Churches bene harrowed not onely of old by the Assirians Caldeans c. But in the primitive times by the Romaines in all their persecutions and the Turkes now this the Scripture calls the Divells casting men into prison Rev. 2.10 All persecutions burnings imprisonment the Divells have done it Kings and Princes hath but lent their hands That which the Divell did to Ioshua Zach. 3.1 Stood at his right hand to resist him that the Divell doth generally to all those that would serve God in the ministry of the gospell So Paul Wee would have come unto you saith hee but Sathan hindred this their acts and Epistles shew how hee would have destroyed their ministry Then hee corrupts teachers Sathan himself is transformed into an Angell of light 2. Cor. 11.13.14.15 by whose meanes men give heed to the doctrine of Divells 1. Tim. 4.1 hee falls upon the membres also pursues them like a roaring Lyon 1. Pet. 5.8 Accusing them before God day and night Rev. 12.10 First drawes them into sin the cause of Gods hatred and then labours to fasten upon them the effects this hee doth amongst men over whom hee raignes drawes them into murthers witcheryes and then discovers them but his usuall care in the Church is to divide and scatter that hee may raigne alone by difference of judgements distracting affections God is love and love is the onely cement of communion The Divell therefore which is the enemy with all his might breaks those walls loosens this cement that there may not one stonely upon another till all be destroyed Let us therefore treade the contrary paths learne the rule from the obliquity aswell as the obliquity from the rule It is warrant enough for us to resist what Sathan promotes In pursuite of that great peece of the Divells ministery which lyes in temptation having shewed formerly what influence hee had upon sin and what influence upon and concurrence with temptations wee came in the last place to shew how those ministeryes were distributed according to vices or persons which when wee had made use of wee came to discover to you some of the Divells marches in his most ordinary and high wayes that is the great and generall snares hee leads men into such as sease upon most men eminently and to their assured ruine and with which the Saints are so clogged as they are rendred unweildy lesse expedite and fit for service they drive slowly and oftentimes fall scandalously though they rise againe Wee will pursue two or three of those points more and so conclude this head in which I purpose not to be large Another effectuall head of temptation by which the Divell labours to drowne men in perdition is the lusts of the flesh Peter admonisheth to abstaine from fleshly lusts because they warre against the Soule The Divell knowes it well and therefore fights against that parte by those weapons Our bodies are the Lords and therefore wee should serve him in body as in spirit but fleshly lusts though they seems to be especially in the body yet in truth they moove circularly from the soule to the soule Out of the heart comes fornications c. And when they have past the body and come to the heart againe the soule is rendred monstrously adulterous and uncleane so that as the soule is pander to the body so on the other side the body is vexed and harrowed beyond its naturall desires beyond what it would have to satisfy an uncleane and filthy minde which appeares plainely in this that the debordments and excesses of no beasts are so great as those of mankind in bodily things because neither the reason of bodily pleasures or any other consideration calls for so much excesse as the satisfaction of a soule made uncleane and unpure doth and therefore where such lusts raigne and are in their excesses a thousand bodies would not be sufficient for the drudgery that a lustfull minde would put them to such lusts have no meane but not to be such mindes besides other incōveniences labour extreamely under this unhappinesse that they conflict continually with impossibilities because their desires run still higher and their lusts have enlarged them to a spheare and capacity that no bodie nor bodily thing can reach or fill How contrary this is to God and his holy Spirit besides other things two things shew one is that hee pretends to be our spouse and hath married us to himself in
holines and righteousnes sutable to which bond and excellent alliance there is a series of spirituall lustings proportionable to the soule the subject of them and to God the object of them which should leade both body and soule captive to an holy and intimate converse with so great and excellent a husband whose comelynesse should alwayes be in our eye and whose beauties should ever inflame our hearts to whom wee should be holy that is separate both in body and spirit 1. Cor. 7.34 whose loves draw out our affections strongly but orderly whose converse fills our minde and enlargeth it altogether which is health to our navell and marrow to our bones quite contrary to the effects of other lustings which give men occasion to mourne at last when their flesh and their body are consumed Prov. 5.11 Now for this excellent spirit to be out-bid by so base and harlotry love that can make no satisfying returnes to have a spirit stollen from him and layde under chaines for these lustings are deepe pits out of which onely an almighty spirit can rescue to be cast of as not faire or not worthy cannot but be deepe in Gods heart Manet altâ repostum judicium Paridis spraetaeque injuria forma In a word to espouse the Divell his enemy by the mediation of filthy and base lustings it is no wonder that men are abhorred of the Lord when they thus fall Prov. 22.14 Another thing that shewes how hatefull these lustings are to God is that these fleshly lusts in that branch properly called uncleannes are made the greatest punishment of the greatest sinnes Rom. 1. from ver 21. to 28. If you aske mee how I intitle the Divell to this besides what was said in the beginning of this head that the Divell who shoots at the soule knowes those lusts ruine it and therefore useth this great engine against it first how can you make a more proper match then betweene the uncleane spirit and those lusts which are properly stiled by God himself uncleaunesse in the abstract as being of all others most eminently uncleane and impure besides looke upon men the Divell acts and possesseth most fully and immediately their God is their belly they fulfill the desires of the flesh and of the minde which is ingaged as deepe as the body is in these lustings and evill affections 2. Eph. 2.3 and not to prosecute this further it is extreamely observable that where the Divell keeps open court reignes personally and absolutely as hee doth amongst infinite numbers in this world though wee are not acquainted with such assemblings therein all beastly shapes and manners hee doth subject them to the actuall commission of what ever wee call uncleannes although oftentimes greatly contrary to their wills and desires that suffer such things from him but the bond of their obedience is strickt and they can refuse nothing who have subjected their necks to that yoake this innumerable and joint confessions of witches and sorcerers accord upon of which I could give you account enough upon as good record as story can give us of any thing although which also wee may consider the Divells are altogether uncapable of any pleasure from such fleshly acts who as being spirits have neither flesh nor bones nor blood they do it onely to debase mankinde and by the most sensuall lusts which fight against the soule to keepe them at the greatest distance from spirituall and heavenly employments by which onely the humaine nature is perfected and improoved To conclude this besides what hath bene said already the Scripture saith expresly that not onely in generall amongst mankinde but even in the Church and therefore considerable to us all It is Sathan which tempts men for their incontinency 1. Cor. 7.5 And it is from him that the younger women waxe wanton against Christ and turne after Sathan 1. Tim. 5.11.15 so as there is cause enough to entitle Sathan to this high way of perdition to these lusts of the flesh that fight against the soule and therefore cause enough for us to watch him and our selves in this high way of perdition in which every step wee take is a departing from Christ our spouse to follow Sathan for the Scripture calls it a turning after Sathan Men are apt to thinke that it is but a turning after their loves a turning after pleasures but besides which you leave which is Christ your husband you follow indeed Sathan in that disguise which should keepe us at the greatest distance in every degree or steppe that way A fifth beaten path of the Divell is Pride the pride of life you may know that to be the Divells way from which God calls you of so earnestly and so effectually first by his denouncements against the proud and pride Pride goeth before destruction Prov. 16.18 as the herbenger or usher that makes way a man acted and filled with pride is upon the very brincke of the precipice of ruine hee is dropping into destruction God delights to debase every one that is proud hee doth but stay till they are proud enough that they may be more capable of ruine and destruction that they may fall deeper Therefore when pride cometh then cometh shame Prov. 11.2 and they come both together pride onely hath the upperhaud Will you see how God sets himself against this evill Iob 26.12 By his understanding hee smiteth through the proud Hee divideth the sea with his power as it is said before but imployes his wisedome and understanding to smite through proud men that is to do it most assuredly to doe it most seasonably for their ruine so Prov. 16 5. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Nothing proud men looke after more then to be had in esteeme and in honour to be admired and to be to others the objects of their envies and the measure of their wishes the rule and modell of their actions but saith hee Hee is an abomination to the Lord that men are which they are to God and that they shal be within a while to all the world that is they shal be a loathing and an abhorring and therefore the things which they would establist shal be scattered the houses they would build shal be pulled downe for so sayes Mary Hee hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts Luk. 1.51 that is there is a concentration of thoughts castles that men build for themselves the imaginations the thoughts of mens hearts drive to some height to some high marke or But sutable to the fountaine from whence they flow a proud heart and when they have wrought them up to a due height and proportion and looke for the product or result of all then God comes as with a whirlewinde and scatters them and shewes how ill compacted every building is how loosely it is layde which is formed without him so for the other place which I hinted the Lord will destroy the house of the proud as it
is Prov. 15.25 that is not onely their workes in designe as before but their workes in issue and effect God may permit some designes to come to issue they may build houses and get possessions but they shal be destroyed it is a thing of no assurance like a building on the sand either their foundations shall faile them or from heaven the Lord shall thunder upon them as Hanna sayes in her song 1. Sam. 2.10 which is a proper way of destroying and pulling downe proud men and things which lift up their head to heaven but saith hee in the same vers Hee will establish the border of the widdow that is a widdow which being desolate and afflicted trusts in God as it is elsewhere widdowes who of all other lye exposed enough to injury that have no great projects of their owne no limits or borders but of Gods making and little power to defend themselves and theirs from assaults and ruine God will establish them sayes hee the Lord will be their keeper and then they need not feare there is no fence so good as what is of Gods making hee hath bounded the sea by an invisible bound his word but no bounds are like it so if hee make a hedge about any about his house and his wayes nothing shal be able to touch him and this leades mee to the other part that blessed part which of all other graces is the foundation the corner stone to happines and blessednes and that is humility when God would bring his Sonne into the world he brought him in the most himble posture his condition his spirit and his worke were all of a lowe and humble edition and whereas it may be said that this was for our sakes and part of his sufferings for sin not so onely but especially and particularly that as of all other things so of this grace also hee might be to us the great instance and patterne and therefore himself sayes Learne of mee for I am meeke and lowly of heart and yee shall finde rest that which all the world seekes after but none finde but such as are in that condition so Phil. 2.5.6 Let this minde be in you which was also in Christ Iesus who being in the forme of God thought it not robbery to be equall with God but made himself of no reputation and tooke upon him the forme of a servant That is whither ever his worke or condition leade him into what ever abasement into what ever lownesse thither his minde easily carried him therefore saith hee Let this minde be in you It may be you shall not be lead into such extremities into such lownes for hee dranke deepe yet the Saints are laid low often how ever let the minde be in you have a ready minde a minde prepared there is nothing fits so for all kinds of worke and communion for doing and suffering as such a minde for want of which either wee are not lead into opportunities of glorifying God or wee loose them and soyle them and make nothing of them Besides this then which wee cannot frame a greater argument how is this frame commended to us by God who best knowes what is best for us and what best pleaseth him Hee tells you that hee giveth grace to the humble Iam. 4.6 That hee will dwell with the humble even as in heaven Isa. 57.15 where hee will display his beames for comfort and joy that hee may revive their spirit and make them live the truth is men are seldome empty enough for Gods filling nor humble enough for his revivings which is the reason why wee have no more of this heavenly influence but are faine to spin our joyes out of our owne bowells as the spider doth her webbe and with contracted and bowed shoulders to beare our burthens which a little influence from God would make exceeding light hee tells you all the ill hee sends is but to humble you and hee is forced to do it that hee may doe you good Deut. 8.16 hee tells you that if you will be pleased with any of his workes with newes from heaven you must be humble The humble shall see this and be glad Psal. 69.32 that is what God workes in the earth if you be not humble you shall not live to see it or have eyes to see it and the humble shall heare thereof and be glad Psal. 34.2 great things are done and no notice taken of them because men are not humble The way to take in the comforts and the joyes from the workes God doth or the Saints doe in the world is to be humble for proud men minde themselves to much to consider God or others not to multiply more places would you be great in any respect Prov. 15.33 Before honour is humility and Prov. 22.4 By humility and the feare of the Lord is riches and honour and life If God have destin'd you for these things that is the gate you must enter at would you be great in the kingdome of heaven take it in what capacity you will Math. 18.4 Whosover shall humble himself as a little childe the same is greatest in the Kingdome of heaven But you will say how comes the Divell into this charge first as hee comes into all sinnes especially such as are great and crying what ever drawes much from God or what ever God drawes from much that is of the Divell but so is pride as you have heard Another way by which wee shall intitle the Divell to this march of pride is contention Prov. 13.10 Onely by pride cometh contention the meaning is by pride alone that is pride alone is sufficient of it self without any other reason to cause the greatest contentions for instance men are not apt to fall into quarrells and contentions unlesse distempered by drinke or that they have their passions stirred up by injury or are distempered or provoked some way or other but pride alone makes men quarrelsome and contentious to the utmost and therefore Psal. 10.2 the wicked in his pride doth persecute the poore the poore middles not with him hurts him not but hee is proud that is enough and having advantage over him being on the higher ground hee pursuis it So what mighty reproaches and revilings Moab and the children of Ammon layd upon the people of God by which meanes they contended with them appeares Zeph. 2.8 Now this God gives meerly to their pride and therefore when in the 9. verse hee threatens the cruellest desolations to them he ads ver 10. this shall they have for their pride their pride was enough to intitle them to all that injury and to all that punishment It was pride that caused contention amongst the Apostles their disputations and their strife who should be the greatest Marc. 9.34 that pride was the disease appeares because humility was the remedy ver 36.37 Also Math. 18.1.2.3 where Christ tells them that except they be humble as little children they shall neither be first nor second they shall
not goe to heaven at all ver 3. Except yee become as litle children yee shall not enter into the Kingdome of heaven and if there be any preeminency pride obstructs the way to it It is humility that opens the doore ver 4. Whoso ever shall humble himself as a little childe the same is the greatest in the Kingdome of God it is not hee that puts for place shall have it but hee that stayes till hee be called But it were well if our contentions ended with others if that were the bounds of them doe wee not contend with our selves our conditions and with God every day Let a mans condition be never so good never so incompassed with mercies pride alone raiseth a contention picks a quarrell that is that alone is sufficient to do it if there were nothing els Why are wee not contented why are wee not well when wee have enough or to much do you know what makes the contention it is pride yee have food and rayment yee have not the least part of mercies yee have not the greatest part of afflictions what is the matter why doe yee contend why doe you walke heavily and dejectedly it is pride pride onely or pride alone can do it can set you as fiercely upon your condition and upon God as upon your brother or your neighbour yea when there is no cause at all It s a glasse that extenuates goods and multiplyes ills and which is more then any glasse can do findes them where they are not at all this as I told you of lust is a most boundlesse thing and will send you to impossibilities for satisfaction for let no man thinke it lyes in the power of his condition to make him happy pride will outrunne it faster then it can possibly flow in upon him and which is more pride multiplyes with the flowing in as fire increaseth by fewell consider therefore when you contend with your condition when you are not satisfied with your estate it might possibly have bene greater or larger or fairer or in a word otherwise nay when you doe not walke cheerfully and thankfully and contentedly in what you have for that failing is of the same roote and spring then you contend with God you murmure against God and this a love from pride properly and onely from pride for the judge of all the world cannot but doe justly God cannot hurt you cannot injure or provoke you as another may all your contentions with your conditions and so with God are onely from pride now I beseech you who is the great Authour and fomenter of contention but the Divell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the calumniatour one that breeds ill blood that doth calumniate and accuse night and day hee doth not onely accuse us to God but God to us hee accused God to Evah hee told her they should be as Gods knowing good and evill this temptation tooke now hee intimated that God made that restraint out of envy because hee would have none so great and so happy as himself and therefore there was not so much love in giving you liberty to eate of the other trees as there was envy and ill will in restrayning you from this For God knoweth c. And hee accused Iob to God doth Iob serve God for nought A great part of his traynes are spent in sowing dissentions in making breaches in multiplying wrath where it is conceived in boyling it up to revenge and then effecting it and therefore there is nothing hee traines up his more in then in contentions and wayes of revenging themselves to the utmost the power of effecting which is ordinarily the reward his sworne vassalls get for the slaving and alienation of their soules and bodies to conclude hee is the true king over all the children of pride Iob 41.34 to whom it may be said as to Pilate concerning Christ Behold your King For pride was properly the Divells sin 1. Tim. 3.6 It is called the condemnation of the Divell that is that for which the Divell is condemned Not a novice least being lifted up with pride hee fall into the condemnation of the Divell This therefore was his sin and this he multiplyed and derived presently hee fastened it upon Adam to wish to be as God knowing good and evill and although some other sinnes in respect of the constitution and temper may beare the title of the master sin that doth not hinder but that in a true sence it may be saide that pride is the master sin in all it is the utmost roote in originall sin that which lieth deepest in the ground and can must hardly be reached what are afflictions generally for but to hide pride from man nay temptations are let out upon us and sometimes corruptions that wee may not be lifted up so it was to Paul what ever his temptations were the end of all was that hee might not be proud and lifted up with his revelations this therefore is the proper sin of the Divell and hath so great a root in us of his laying in at first and of his fostering ever since wee should watch him especially in as that which hath all the evills in it wee have formerly named and is of all other things most opposite and contrary to our peace and comfort Another martch of the Divells eminent in it self and most dangerous and ensnaring to others is that wee call worldlines wee know the Divel is called the God of this world and they that will be rich that is they that set their hearts upon it that propose this to themselves they will be rich they will abound they will that is what ever it cost them though they breake never so many hedges for it though they tread never so many unjust or weary steps they fall into temptation and a snare The Divell hath them in his snares and leades them whither hee will whither hee hath a minde to leade them 1. Tim. 6.9 Other sins have their aggravations but this is the most earthly of all other and in some respects the most unworthy a man And therefore the seate of this lust is ordinarily the basest spirits there it hath its rise and growth and in order to effects it is the root of all evill that is aswell as other vices it is extreamely fertill of ill whether you consider the evill of sin or the evill of punishment for sin this love of riches what will it not constraine men to they will breake all the commandements in a round for the satisfying of those lusts what frauds deceits perjuryes cruelties murthers hatreds have bene exercised for the nourishing of this lust nay what other sins of lust and uncleannesse of the lowest and basest kinde People often subject their bodies and soules to the satisfying of this affection And for the evill of punishment the Apostle saith heere that they pierce themselves thorough with many sorrowes that is they have a carefull and sorrowfull life of it contrary to that good Solomon
you see comes in by light Againe Glory the apprehension of it the notion of it begirts renders strong exceedingly Christ for the glory set before him c. did wonders but light and glory runne together and the notion of glory comes in by light Isa. 60.1.2 Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee so it is called The light of the glorious gospell 2. Cor. 4.4 there would have bene no glory seene if there had bene no light and there is a glory also in light Acts 22.11 Paul said hee could not see for the glory of the light therefore light is glorious now this dazelled his bodily eyes but our spirits see better and more strongly for glorious lights which gives assurance and courage and so strength also In a word our whole armour is called the armour of light Rom. 13.12 So great a thing is light to armour and to strength according to the more or lesse of which men are weake or strong to any course to which they pretend but above all to religion Now for the Divell against whom wee arme doth not hee play in the darke almost altogether when hee would deceive our sence hee casts sand in our eyes mists before us to deceive and blinde us and then wee judge of things not as they are but according to the medium wee see through So for our comfort how doth hee enervate us and loosen our loynes by leading us into darke thoughts of God and of our condition how doth hee unsteddy our steps and intimidate us by putting scruples in our wayes and hiding from us those truths wherein our strength would consist If hee can make us insincere hee hath enough wee shall then seeke darknes and chuse it rather then light of such Christ sayes that they loved darknes rather then light because their deeds were evill Ioh. 3.19 But be sincere the right eyeing the right seeing the right apprehension of things is that truth which begirts us and together with sincerity renders us strong and mighty to fight with him to contest with his wiles with his lyes with his impostures for his dealings with us is nothing els But be wee but sincere that is honest to your selves and to God and discover him and hee is gone This therefore is a neate cleane peece of armour fitted for the part and for the enemy wee contest with all If you aske what you shall doe for it I would advise you by way of corrolary to two things First converse much with the Father of lights In his light wee shall see light Psal. 36.9 Be neere God that hee may shine upon you continually hee hath no false lights as impostures have to shew their wares by what ever light hee affords you is right and gives you the thing as it is Hee hath no false glasses that greaten or lessen the proportion of things but such as render them as they are Converse much with the word the booke of lights all it sayes is true without a reason though it be all reason converse with the Saints the subjects of lights they have light that will shine before you all these lights convey truth to you the right notion of things And that is it which begirts you renders you strong and steddy fit to deale with the Divell the father of all impostures and deceits also think ruminate much of things according to what true notion you have ever had of them in some times and parts of our lives wee have right notions of things with such sight as carry their owne evidence with them represent them often to your selves this will make your light shine to you your light may be under a bushell in your owne heart and truth without this may be to seeke when you should use it when you should judge and walke by it you may have many right principles in you but Raked under Ashes but wisedome is to have them at hand and for use that when the Divell comes with his wiles and his mists shining and blazing truth may scatter them and melt them and cause them to waste away assoone as they dare to appeare for example If hee shall shew the pompe and glittering of titles and honour and would lead you out of your way by that foolish shine a right judgement of things hath for him that the outsides of things are for children that the masks and vizards either of good or ill are not much considerable that honour is in truth that which is lasting which hath its rise in worth and is given by God and wise men that such honour properly should rather follow then lead good actions that the praise of men and the praise of God are seldome consistent that it is a signe of diffidence of God to be too anxious to receive honour from men that there is no reason that should moove you which the Divell can neither give nor continue to you I give you but a tast if hee tempt you to gratify the flesh by lust or idlenesse by a soft and delicate life by indulgeing to bodily things Truth will girde your loynes and make you stand steddy heere in also by telling him that it is wisedome to till the better part that nothing stands in so proper an antipathy to the spirit as the flesh that Paul beat downe his body and brought it into subjection that the body is to be considered onely as an instrument and not to be idolized and indulged to for it selfe that belly meat shall both be destroyed ere long but the soule dies not that idlenes is death before your time with this difference that it is considerable in your punishment which death properly is not for no man is punished for dying That Iesus Christ was a perpetuall motion that good men have used to finde little rest but in their consciences and their graves till they come to heaven that your condition heere is to be a souldier to indure hardnes and fight for which truth armes you not to live delicately and take your ease this might be enlarged in many other particulars and in these more fully I onely give an instance that you may know what I would and may learne to begirt your selves with right notions against the wiles of the Divell For the other part namely sincerity for the heightening and improoving of that I shall put upon you but this burthen love much sincerity is immixednesse and rightnesse of ends a spirit goeing right forward drawne right forth without guile or ends Love will concentrate all in God make all lines meet in him self love makes men insincere to God and others because it drawes away from the pretensions which are to God it sucks away the sappe and the juice that should goe into the body of the tree it is like a cut that draynes the channell which should runne with full source into the sea but love gives all and wishes for more in no respect
the one was as fiery as the other hee hated her now more then hee had loved her ver 15. the love was without measure so was the hatred so are men stung with the fiery darts of the divell there is nothing but extreames no Mediocrity all is without measure and then for a little of that they call pleasure they have a world of paine and gall and bitternesse which is the other fiery darts made way for by lusts and that is dispaire for I should thinke that in this instance the inhumanity and barbarousnesse of Amnon afterwards to his sister came from the terrour and confusion of his conscience what fruit had you of those things whereof you are now ashamed Rom. 6.21 After the sin is committed shame and horrour ceazeth presently which hurryes the minde ordinarily as fast to dispaire as it did before to the countinent of the lust therefore lusts should be lookt upon as they are goeing not as they are comeing or as they are promising peracto scelere magnitudo ejus conspicitur as Tacitus inferres of Nero after hee had killed his Mother therefore wee should looke on sin with that eye which within a few howers wee shall see them and this is the second head of the fiery darts I told you of namely inections to dispaire how many after the commissions of Murthers Adulteryes Treatheryes have bene consumed and likt up by these fiery darts and brought to miserable ends under the notion of dispaire What thinke you of Spira who for a little shrincking and retracting his confession the profession of the Gospell I told you of esteemed the flames of hell lesse then those hee felt and wisht himselfe often there that hee might knowe the difference What thinke you before him of Iudas who found no rest no quiet of spirit but in the Gallowes hee was utterly druncke up by dispaire and went downe quicke to his owne place But the saints feele these fiery darts as David did for lusting so himselfe also and divers others for dispairing therefore hee saies Hee roared all the day and his soule and his bones were sore vexed and his eye his soule his Belly were consumed and the divell heerein takes the advantage of some outward lowenesse and depression of condition either in body or estate or reputation or some melancholy of body or constitution which is a temper easily fired to extremities and that the Saints have their fyering to lustings or dispaire aswell as others whether they be of things bulky in themselves or little But what kinde of faith is it that you must oppose to these burnings to these fiery darts and how doth faith relieve you Certainely it is no other then that by which you beleeve God to be yours in Christ. The Shield here spoken of is taken from the similitude of a Doore such as were the largest shields it must be large enough to shield the whole body And secondly as a shield it must receive the darts and repell them and quench the fire before it reach the body before it incorporate it selfe with the minde and enter as it were into the substance of the spirit for then there will be more tearing and difficulty to get it out But how doth faith doe this First and especially as it calls God God in Christ to our ayde When the Divell shoots his fiery Darts either for lusting or dispairing it is not for flesh and blood to oppose it selfe your mortalities your resolutions your reasonings will prove combistible matter and be burnt up be burnt away and your spirit will be left fiered and empoysoned by those Darts The Dart will sticke it will be worke to get it out Now in this case faith leads you directly to God sets God against the Divell so as the combate by the wisdome of faith is changed and made now rather betweene God and the Divell then betweene you and the Divell the Divell which could have subdued you easily fals under God presently This is that stronger then hee that bindes the strong man and casts him out This was Davids way From the ends of the earth will I cry to thee when my heart is overwhelmed Leade mee to the Rocke that is higher then I Psal. 61.2 that is where ever I am or where ever thou art as thy spirit can finde mee out so I will finde thee out When I am overwhelmed when I am greatly in distresse I will cry to thee as a child doth to his father that is set upon by one stronger then himselfe cries out to his father and trusts to his strength Set mee upon a Rocke or thou wilt set mee upon a Rocke that is it is so high as I cannot reach it without thou set mee upon it or higher then I that is above my owne strength or my owne abilities even upon thy selfe and thy sonne where I may be safe for in case of overwhelmings in case of fiery Darts there is no other way but to set God as yours as one in covenant with you your all and friends against the Divell to stand still and see the salvation of God when the red sea was before and the Egyptians behinde what could the Israelites doe in that case there was no way for wisedome or strength to make through But stand still and see the salvation of God casting all upon God and disparing in themselves altogether But secondly this shield of faith can relieve you in this extremity by outbidding sights as in a second and under way against all lustings it can oppose presently the recompence of the reward and ye have a lust for that also So Moses was not without the lustings of ambition and vaine glory to be called the Son of Pharoahs Daughter but the eye which hee had to the recompence of reward outbids them infinitely and therefore hee chose rather afflictions which no man would simply chuse So Christ for the glory set before him indured and suffered any thing a lively faith realizeth things and makes them present faith will tell you presently when a fiery lust assaults you yeild not and in stead of pleasing your flesh or your humour which is passing you will please Christ you will please your conscience and that pleasure is sweet indeed that remaines nay you shall heare of this againe this fighting this quenching shall come into your reward in such times and in such things wherein you would be most of all considered And against the burnings of dispaire as in a second way also faith will shewe the riches of mercy the merrits of the blood of Christ and will tell you that it is dishonourable to God to judge his goodnes lesse then your wickednesse or that the merrits of Christ cannot hold ballance with your sinning will shewe you as great disproportion betweene grace and sin as betweene God and you will make in a word dispaire wicked in nothing as in the unreasonablenesse of it But then thirdly as an effect of both
about which our hope is conversant and the proportion lies thus Wee hope saith hee ver 2. when hee shall appeare to be like him for wee shall see him as hee is sayes hee there will be the same reason of your being like to him heere and hereafter and therefore if you will be like him in heaven you must be like him heere and your hope for the one must helpe you to the other now as in heaven hee is glorious so heere hee was pure ye are in all estates and conditions to follow and imitate your saviour for that is your hope to that you were predestinated Now hee was holy harmelesse undefiled therefore ye must be like in this state also Secondly your hope fixeth upon seeing him in heaven There shall no uncleane thing enter into the kingdome of heaven and therefore you must purge and cleanse your selves by the way and your hope must do it This purification respcteth both the body and the minde and is opposed to all bodily lusts which lies in the sences fancie or sensible things and to all spirituall lusts which lie in the understanding which lusteth against spirituall truths and the wayes of God sayes hee this hope must purifie you from all this But how high how farre must this hope act you to what degrees Even as hee is pure there is your patterne there is your examplar study what Christ was and be ye likewise study what Christ did or would doe and doe the same for instance wee are apt to be proud and vaine to be supercilious to overlooke men and little things to be every one for himself gripeing and graspeing Purify your selves in this even as hee is pure let the same minde be in you that was in Christ Iesus Phil. 2.5 who though hee were in the forme of God debased himself in a word consider the disposition of Christ and consider the purity of Christ and make that your coppy and as you would set no bounds to glory you would see him as he is and be like him so set no bounds to purity purify your selves after that patterne even as hee is pure and let hope and the reason of hope doe it because you have no greater pretensions to glory then you have to purity namely to be like Christ your head to whom by faith and hope you are conformed Thus yee see your Helmet in its glory securing you from all the evill of all the goods of the world and securing from all the evill of all the evill of the world and enabling and inspiring you to work and service even to all That you might be perfect and throughly furnished to every good worke improove therefore this blessed peece this hope and get it more abundantly You see it is a great matter how wee settle our hopes because in it lies the strength of our indeavours wee anchor in things by hope and fixe in them and being setled upon an immovable thing wee can moove steddily and stronglie Archimedes could moove the world if hee could fasten his engine now wee cast anchor in heaven and heavenly things in salvation for so sayes the Apostle Wee have an anchor of the soule both sure and stedfast and which entreth in to that which is within the vaile Heb. 6.19 Our anchor casts deepe in heaven where there is good earthing whence it will be impossible to be remooved by any stormes or windes But this wee must know that if you would make use of this or any armour which is spirituall it must be first raised to a pitch the armes must be fashioned and formed and then must be kept bright and in posture for service it must be weilded by a spirituall hand Now to raise this grace you must improove and raise your faith for as in all compositions you have something that gives the body of it so faith gives the body and substance to hope therefore faith is called the substance of things hoped for and therefore of all other things your hope will never outbid or goe beyond your faith keep therefore that full and high Yet Hope is a further grace and armour faith gives you things in their coulours with your interests in them it shewes you that they are and that they are yours but however faith gives them a kinde of presence by beleeving yet they are in themselves future as to us hope therefore takes in the pleasure of them beforehand lives in the joyfull expectation of them and so abridges the time which els would be tedious fancies to it self as I may so say the pleasures and joyes of eternall life and lives in a sweet anticipation of what it possesseth but by faith which as it is most pleasant in it self so it produceth mighty effects for joy for patience for working so as our life is comfortably entertained by it in joy and pleasure evills and calamities are mastered and subdued by it even the greatest and action and worke the end of living is promoted Therefore looke upon this peece which hath influence into so great effects as a reall not as a notionall thing as a thing that many want in the use and exercise of it but they cannot live without it they cannot live a vitall life animated with joy armed with patience and acted to worke and service Therefore let not so great an engine of the Holy Ghost so great and good an armour lye dead by us but rather let us improove it and use it try alwayes of raising it for it is raised and improoved grace that workes great and considerable effects And the sword of the spirit which is the word of God This is the last peece of armes and is fitted both for offence and defence it is an armes that is great alone and therefore men arme themselves with this which use no other and it is also an appendix to all armes for no man is armed at all points like a souldier which hath not a sword this is a peece of a very expedite and continuall use You need not goe farre to know what this sword is the Apostle describes it first by being the sword of the spirit that is a spirituall sword The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God 2. Cor. 10.4 The Divell will not give way or yeild to a sword made of any other mettall therefore it is mighty through God The Egyptians are flesh and not spirit therefore they are weake One Divell is able to deale with all the fleshly and carnall weapons in the world it is not charmes and holy water nor resolutions and purposes and reasonings alone that are weapons fit for this combate they must be things truely spirituall But then secondly it is that sword which the spirit useth in us and by us the spirit of God the Holy Ghost so as there is a mighty arme to a mighty weapon For wee know not how to pray as wee ought how to doe any thing but the spirit maketh intercession in
p. 43.44.45.46.47 A story of one guided and conducted by an Angel out of Bodin his first booke of the history of sorcerers p. 47. Objection What do you leave to Christ and the spirit Answered p. 48. Coroll from the administration of Angels p. 49. The Angels an ordinance continually by us p. 50. A spirituall substance assisting proportionable to the divell who opposeth us ibid. Walke holily in respect of the Angels ibid. Every ordinance valuable because conveying something from God therefore should love the Angels p. 51. Reverence the Angels learne to converse with them ibid. The whole creation serviceable to man the Angels not excepted p. 52. The use to be made thereof ibid. Aspire after Angelicall worke p. 53. The second part of this treaty which is of the evill Angels ibid. Of the sinne of the evill Angels p. 54. Coroll from thence p. 55. Of the punishment of the evill Angels and first of the place p. 56. Which admits of a double consideration ibid. The place of the sixt of Iude considered p. 57. The divels not yet in their utmost tearme p. 58. Coroll from what hath been last treated on ibid. The whole universe of rationall creatures under chaines and bonds ibid. The use to be made thereof p. 59. Of the spirituall punishment of the evill Angels p. 60. Their wound in their will ibid. Their knowledge great p. 61. Their wound in their knowledge ibid. In some respects perfectly blinde p. 62. Their punishment demonstrated from their names and titles ibid. Corollaries p. 63. Dread the spirituall punishment of sinne ibid. This considerable to the saints also ibid. Of the ministery of the evill Angels p. 64. The principall ministery of the evill Angels to tempt and induce to sinne p. 65.66 Whence the evill Angels had power for this ministery p. 66. Why the divels are invested with this ministery by God p. 67. Severall reasons in respect of God ibid. Also in respect of men first of wicked men p. 68. Then of the saintes p. 69. Severall Coroll from hence p. 70. Let the Saints blesse God for their ministry ibid. Wonder not that evill men are so wicked ibid. Do not the divells work ibid. Expect not the present destruction of men extreamly wicked ibid. Be secure on Gods side notwithstanding this ministry p. 71. How the evill Angells operate in order to temptation and sinne p. 72. Corollaryes from hence p. 73. Whether the divell concurre to the temptation of all sinne p. 74. Men may sinne without the temptation of the Divell but de facto usually he hath a part in all temptations ibid p. 75 76. Whether usually hath the start herein our owne corruptions or the divell p. 77. Severall corollaryes p. 78 79. How the ministryes of the evill Angells are distributed whether to vices or persons p. 80. Corollaryes from the praeceding discourse p. 81. A shame for the saints to give ground and fayle as others that want their aides ibid. The saints and the wicked fall very differently under the power of the Divell p. 82. Which wayes especially the divells are laid out towards mankinde in matter of temptation p. 83. The divell would hinder the worship of God and in order to that the knowledge of him ibid. The divell amongst his most assured vassalls pretends to a shap'd and form'd worship as appeares by the confession of witches p. 84. The divells the greatest enemyes of Christ and the Gospel ibid. Gospel worship and Gospell preaching most opposed by the divell and his instruments p. 85. Coroll from this ibid. Exalt what the divell opposeth most ib. The Divell exerciseth his ministry especially against the church of Christ. p. 86 87. Some more instances of the Divells usuall martches in the discharge of his ministry p. 88. One the lusts of the flesh ibid. The excesses of no beasts so great as those of mankind in bodily things ib. This frame infinitly contrary to God appeares so to be by two things especially p. 89 90. The Divell where he reignes most absolutely subjects persons to the actuall commission of what ever we call uncleanenes p. 90. The Scripture particularly intitles Sathan to this temptation p. 91. Another beaten path of the divell pride ibid. That men are which they are to God p. 92. No thing more contrary to God then pride ibid. The imaginations of proud men how scattered by God ibid. The honour and advantage of humility p. 93 94 95. Only by pride comes contention how understood p. 95 96. Pride makes us contend with our conditions with God himself p. 96 97. How the Divell is intituled to this temptation p. 97 98. Another eminent temptation of the divels coveteousnesse p. 99. The seate of this lust the basest spirits ibid. Coveteousnesse extreamely fertill of ill ibid. and p. 100. Why this sinne stil'd Idolatry p. 100 101. Men of this humour extreamely deluded p. 101. The comfort and injoyment of things is the portion of the saintes p. 102. Coroll particularly from this last head ibid. Generall Corollaryes drawne from these common roades of temptation p. 103. The misery of sinne lyes in sinning ibid. The happines of a holy spirit p. 104. The divell spinnes his web finer for the saints but his But and End is the same p. 105. Provocations to fight ibid. The divells power and operation upon us in communicating himself to our understandings and inward man must be fetcht from what hath been said of the good Angells largely p. 36 37 38. ibid. The divell an inveterate enemy his evill nature ever intended p. 106. His power wonderfully great ibid. The contentions for things of the greatest moment p. 107. The prize of other warres nothing to ours p. 108. A great advantage to fight for a love and in the presence of a love and so do we ibid. The third part of the discourse wherein of the armour fitted for this warre p. 109. No weapons fit for combatt with the divell but Gods ibid. Lusts will take their turnes and give place one to another p. 110. Something 's which looke like vertues are but the ignorance of ill ibid. The incompassing of temptations ibid. Some men strong in the divell and in the power of his might p. 111. What 's intended by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. Every one will do a little in Religion ibid. and p 112. Difficulty in Religion lyes in universality and exactnes p. 112. What our parts are in this combatt p. 113. The more mighty any supreame agent is the more it intends and fills the instrument ibid. The end and use of the Armour p. 114. Dayes of temptation evill dayes ibid. Things incouraging to fight the necessity of it the glory and pleasure of victory p. 115. Cowards have but the pleasure of Idlenes and the misery of slavery p. 116. 2 Tim. 2.3 open'd ibid. p. 117. The bonds and restraints that lye upon the divell are considered for incouragement sake p. 118. The particular peeces of armour first the girdle